“She’s alive,” I murmur, half-prayer, half-triumph.
But no sooner do I taste hope than a tide of them sweeps out from the palace—drawn by the gongs echoing through every alley and avenue. The shockwaves shiver down my spine, and I find myself gaping. They’re breathtaking…and lethal. They drift over the cobblestones, their footsteps soundless, each gesture a study in grace. Their eyes glow molten gold beneath arched brows. Pale silks swirl around lithe bodies, cinched with polished gold and hammered silver. Gemstones wink from braided hair, and the men’s wrists jangle with chunky bracelets above sturdy leather sandals.
This—this hidden realm—has thrived beneath our noses, a secret sealed by time until a rampaging dragon shattered the lid. It’s insane. It’s a whole new chapter of our world, whether we’re ready or not.
“We can’t stay like this,” Chad’s lips ghost across my ear, jolting me back to myself. I nod, pulse slamming against my ribs. “We need to blend.”
He hesitates just a heartbeat, then vaults the low fence and vanishes into the nearest courtyard. My heart shrinks to a fist as I freeze, waiting for screams or flame. But the hush stretches. Minutes crawl by until Chad reemerges, cradling two black silkcloaks like precious gowns. “They don’t lock their doors,” he says, draping one over my shoulders.
I stifle a breath. “Not surprised.”
Swallowed by the crowd, we drift on silent soles, our uniforms swallowed by velvet. Heads bowed, we slip through narrow passages, ears straining for scraps of gossip. Past a cluster of youths, I catch a fragment. “I hear they’re planning to execute the darkling,” one murmurs to a flame-haired woman.
She tuts. “Didn’t she just wed the crown prince?”
I halt, vision blurring. Esme. Married. To dragon royalty. What the actual hell? The world tilts sideways for a second, and I'm picturing my sister in some blazing wedding dress, probably looking perfect even while marrying a lizard.
Chad grabs my arm before I can do something stupid. When the gossipy duo moves on, I yank him close, my voice coming out scratchy. “They say she married the crown prince.”
He breathes out against my hair. “Esme?”
“Yeah. Freaking Esme.” Of course she did.
Chad's eyes narrow. “We should get closer to the palace, then.”
“There are, like, a bazillion more dragons up there. We'll stick out like a pair of Darkbirch thumbs.” I peek around the corner at the crowd surging toward the central plaza. “They're completely losing it over Esme and this prince guy.”
Two dragon-people in gold tunics stop just feet from our hiding spot.
“They hated each other's guts,” the taller one says, voice dripping with gossip. “Heard it straight from Professor Kyleth at the institute. Cannot fathom why Lord Daynthazar married that creature.”
His friend snorts. “Trophy wife from the surface world, obviously.” He slaps his thigh with a laugh before they both join the stampede.
I yank Chad into a narrow alley that smells like dragon barbecue and sulfur. “Well dragon balls, we just walked into, like, the supernatural soap opera of the century. My sister—my perfectionist, overachieving sister—married dragon royalty? And now he's missing?And they're blaming her? This is next-level Salem family drama, even for us.”
“Your powers of observation continue to astound,” he deadpans.
My hands shake as I grip his sleeve. “What's the plan? How do we find her? She's probably wherever that mob is headed.”
My brain spins with visions of Esme being roasted alive or whatever dragons do to their enemies, but Chad grabs my shoulders, squeezing tight enough to anchor me.
“Hey. Brynn. Look at me.”
“I need to get her out?—”
Our eyes lock. That weird red glow flickers in his irises, and suddenly my panic dial turns from eleven to maybe a six. Meanwhile, Chad slumps against the wall looking like he might hurl.
“That's what I get for playing emotional support demon,” he mutters, pressing his fingers against his temple.
“Save your mojo,” I whisper.
He peeks back toward the street, grimacing. “Your sister is definitely in premium-grade trouble, Brynn.”
And we're the rescue squad. A half-dead demon and the Salem family disappointment. Fantastic.
30
ESME
